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It’s not just me that gets hungry all the time – my skin has an appetite too. I’ve been so busy focusing on edible recipes lately that I forgot to give my skin it’s usual TLC. So today I took my Aesthetician skills off the shelf and whipped up something special using natural ingredients inspired by some of my favourite foods.

100g shea butter unrefined

100g cocoa butter

20g coconut virgin oil

20g borage seed oil

20g beeswax

5 drops vanilla CO2 essential oil (optional)

5 drops roasted coffee oil (optional)

I placed the cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax in a large glass bowl over a simmering pot of water.

I stirred the butters as they melted and kept removing the glass bowl from the double boiler and returning it again to prevent over heating. If the butters and oils become too hot, their beneficial properties will be destroyed.

If you grate or chop the butters and wax it will help them to melt faster. Once the ingredients have become completely liquified, leave it to cool for a few minutes before stirring in the borage, vanilla and coffee oils. You can leave out the essential oils or use others that you prefer.

I found that the nutty aroma of the butters, wax and coconut oil either overpowered the essential oils or complemented them so well that they were almost undetectable. You could double the quantity of the essential oils for a more powerful scent.

Put the mixture in the fridge to start cooling down. You will see the butters and oils start to become opaque after a few minutes in the fridge and then you can start whipping it using an electric hand beater. Keep returning it to the fridge and beating, back in the fridge and then beat, until the mixture turns thick, white and creamy. Spoon into a container that has been sterilised in hot water and dried thoroughly.

When the body butter makes contact with your skin, your body heat will cause it to melt. Rub the body butter into your skin after a bath or shower, when your skin feels thirsty or use it as a massage cream. The body butter will leave a protective film on the surface of your skin and after using it only once today my skin is already glowing and feeling hydrated.

Use the body butter within a few months because it doesn’t contain preservatives and avoid sticking your fingers in the jar to prevent contamination – use a spatula or a spoon. Always do a patch test prior to using skincare products to ensure you don’t experience any allergic reactions.